Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Corneal Fibrosis/Scarring and Advances in Therapy

Dear Colleagues,

Corneal blindness is a leading cause of vision loss. The cornea is susceptible to injury by external agents. Typical corneal injuries include trauma, thermal/chemical burns, and infection. The wound healing response results in a deposition of disorganized and fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM), contributing to corneal scarring that impedes vision. While the only treatment option is the replacement of damaged corneas through transplantation using cadaveric donor corneas, the global shortage of donor tissues and its sustainability amidst a growing aging population is of utmost concern. This Special Issue of IJMS aims to provide an overview of the molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with corneal fibrosis and scarring, as well as the latest research on the treatment modalities of corneal scarring and their short- and long-term consequences. This will be of interest to scientists and clinicians working to fight against corneal blindness. This Special Issue will consider reviews and original research manuscripts with topics including (but not limited to) the underlying mechanisms of stromal wound healing and ECM remodelling, diagnostics/prognostics, as well as new insights on treatment modalities associated with fibrosis and scar management (such as early wound intervention and cell-based and cell-free strategies)

Dr. Gary Hin-Fai Yam
Prof. Dr. Vishal Jhanji
Dr. Matthias Fuest
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.